How to Conduct a Feasibility Study

Before any major engineering project moves into detailed design or construction, one essential step must take place: a feasibility study. A well-executed feasibility study provides the technical, operational, and financial clarity needed to make informed decisions, minimize risk, and confidently move forward.

Step 1: Define the Project Objectives and Constraints

Every feasibility study begins with a clear understanding of the client's goals. This includes defining operational requirements, production targets, safety considerations, schedule expectations, and budgetary constraints. Equally important is identifying limitations such as existing infrastructure, site conditions, regulatory requirements, and constructability challenges. Establishing these parameters early ensures the study remains focused and aligned with business objectives.

Step 2: Collect Accurate Site and Field Data

Reliable data is the foundation of any effective feasibility study. EDS supports clients through comprehensive site visits and advanced data collection methods, including ground-based surveys, drone-based laser scanning, and high-resolution photography. This information allows engineers to accurately document existing conditions, identify physical constraints, and evaluate how a proposed project will integrate with current operations.

Step 3: Evaluate Technical and Operational Options

With accurate site data in hand, multiple design concepts and configurations are evaluated. This step includes analyzing layout options, equipment selection, process flow, safety impacts, and constructability. By comparing alternatives, a feasibility study highlights the advantages, trade-offs, and risks associated with each option, allowing stakeholders to make data-driven decisions rather than assumptions.

Step 4: Develop Cost Estimates and Identify Risks

A key outcome of a feasibility study is a realistic understanding of project cost. EDS prepares Total Installed Cost (TIC) estimates that account for engineering, materials, construction, and contingency considerations. In parallel, potential risk such as schedule impacts, operational disruptions, or future expansion limitations are identified and addressed. This transparency helps clients avoid surprises later in the project lifecycle.

Step 5: Support Authorization of Expenditure

One of the most valuable outcomes of a feasibility study is its role in securing Authorization for Expenditure (AFE). By combining technical validation, cost certainty, and risk evaluation, EDS helps clients present a clear and defensible case for project approval. Many of our clients rely on feasibility study deliverables to justify capital investment decisions and gain internal or stakeholder approval to proceed.

Step 6: Transition Seamlessly into Detailed Design

Once AFE is approved, the project can move confidently into detailed design. Because EDS often performs both the feasibility study and the detailed engineering, there is continuity from concept through execution. This seamless transition reduces rework, shortens schedules, and ensures the final design remains aligned with the assumptions and decisions established during the feasibility phase.

Turning Feasibility into Forward Progress

A feasibility study is more than a preliminary exercise it is a strategic tool that sets the direction for project success. At Engineering Design Services, we've helped clients across multiple industries move from early-stage concepts to fully approved projects by delivering feasibility studies that are thorough, practical, and financially grounded. By providing the clarity needed to secure AFE and advance into detailed design, EDS enables clients to move forward with confidence. Feasibility study sample PDF.